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Marshall Herskovitz

Marshall Herskovitz

Producer, writer, director and actor · Born February 23, 1952 (74) · Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

Marshall Schreiber Herskovitz (born February 23, 1952) is an American film director, writer and producer, and currently the President Emeritus of the Producers Guild of America. Among his productions are Traffic, The Last Samurai, Blood Diamond, and I Am Sam. Herskovitz has directed two feature films, Jack the Bear and Dangerous Beauty. Herskovitz was a creator and executive producer of the television shows Thirtysomething, My So-Called Life, and Once and Again, and also wrote and directed several episodes of all three series.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
February 23, 1952 (74)
From
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
Works as
Producer, writer, director and actor
Titles
20 on MovieCove · 35 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 37 days to Oct 26Down 37% in 30 days

What are Marshall Herskovitz's films like?

Across their 19 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Bonds.

Genres

Action5 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 50th percentile
: browse their Action movies
Comedy4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 54th percentile
: browse their Comedy movies
Drama4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 69th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies
Biography3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 81st percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Biography movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Morality
29%
Bonds
28%
Self
12%
Society
10%
Survival
10%
Power
8%
Ideas
3%
Family bonds6 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice5 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity4 titles, browse their movies with this themeCorruption3 titles, browse their movies with this themeRedemption3 titles, browse their movies with this themeParenthood2 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love2 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival3 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 19 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Dark: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their dark movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 1 · Serious 10 · Dark 8

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

A split, not a type: Grounded 11 · Stylized 5 · Heightened 3

Intense: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their intense movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 1 · Charged 6 · Intense 12

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 2 · Shifting 14 · Whiplash 3

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 12 · Some laughs 6 · Funny 1

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 4 · Even-paced 10 · Relentless 5

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 3 · Engaged 13 · Full focus 3

Heavy: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their heavy movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

Easy watch 3 · Affecting 3 · Heavy 13

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 12 · Open-ended 7 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
13
Melancholic
13
Thrilling
5
Bittersweet
4
Romantic
3
Other
16

How their films linger

Hopeful10 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking8 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end

  • Happy6
  • Bittersweet11
  • Tragic1
  • Ambiguous1

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Marshall Herskovitz's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 15 of their 20 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (7).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Marshall Herskovitz's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

35 credits, 20 with a MovieCove page; 3 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • Trial by Fire(2018)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all films

  • Woman Walks Ahead(2017)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • American Assassin(2017)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films

  • The Great Wall(2016)

    Story

    Midcredits score: 34th percentile of all films

  • Jack Reacher: Never Go Back(2016)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films

  • About Alex(2014)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films

  • Boys of Abu Ghraib(2014)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 26th percentile of all films

  • Nashville(2012)

    Show 22 episodes · Executive Producer · Screenplay · Screenstory

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all shows

  • Love & Other Drugs(2010)

    Producer · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films

  • A Marriage (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2009)

    Director

  • Quarterlife (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)

    Show 6 episodes · Director · Creator · Producer · Writer

  • Defiance(2008)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films

  • Blood Diamond(2006)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films

  • TV Revolution (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)

    Show 2 episodes · Actor

  • The Last Samurai(2003)

    Producer · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films

  • Women vs. Men(2002)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 18th percentile of all films

  • Lone Star State of Mind(2002)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films

  • I Am Sam(2001)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films

  • Traffic(2000)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films

  • Once and Again (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)

    Show 63 episodes · Director · Creator · Producer · Writer · Actor

  • Dangerous Beauty(1998)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films

  • Legends of the Fall(1994)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • My So-Called Life(1994)

    Show 19 episodes · Director · Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all shows

  • Jack the Bear(1993)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films

  • Extreme Close-Up (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)

    Executive Producer · Writer

  • Dream Street (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)

    Show Creator

  • thirtysomething (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1987)

    Show 85 episodes · Director · Creator · Executive Producer · Writer · Actor

  • Special Bulletin (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1983)

    Producer · Story · Teleplay

  • Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)

    Show 2 episodes · Writer

  • Family (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)

    Show 3 episodes · Director · Writer

  • Asymmetry (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Producer · Screenplay

  • Soul ReViver (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Producer

  • The Creed of Violence (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Producer

  • The Dialogue: An Interview with Screenwriter Marshall Herskovitz (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Actor

  • The Making Of (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Producer · Writer

Career shape

A full career of 33 titles, 28 of them dated from 1976 to 2019.

Biggest box office

The Last Samurai (2003)

$455M worldwide

Highest rated

Blood Diamond (2006)

Midcredits 98th

Most popular right now

The Great Wall (2016)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting4 of 33: 2 only acting, 2 with another roleDirecting8 of 33: 2 only directing, 6 with another roleWriting15 of 33: 4 only writing, 11 with another role · typical Midcredits score61stProducing23 of 33: 11 only producing, 12 with another role · typical Midcredits score83rdOther crew4 of 33: 1 only other crew, 3 with another role

33 titles, 13 with more than one role — producing and writing overlap on 10 of them.

By decade

1970s1 · crew1980s4 · 1 acting · 4 crew1990s6 · 1 acting · 6 crew2000s9 · 1 acting · 8 crew2010s8 · crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.

How do Marshall Herskovitz's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 69th percentile, the median of all 18; across their 19 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 70th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

70thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 19

Approval · how many liked their films

70thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 19

Reach · how many have seen their films

97thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 19

Midcredits score across 20 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up10
  • 50th to 74th5
  • 25th to 49th4
  • Below 25th1

Shape of the crowd

10 of their 20 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved6
  • Crowd Pleaser10
  • Broadly Agreed2
  • Mixed2

Most divisive · producer

Boys of Abu Ghraib (2014)

67th percentile spread · 29% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · producer

Blood Diamond (2006)

Midcredits 98th · 92% liked

Reviewers score the dialogue 50/100 and the plot and story 47/100 in their films, across 19 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a writer.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Marshall Herskovitz's work okay for kids?

Across up to 14 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore, profanity and frightening / intense run heavier than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore12 titles32–88 · median 67 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity14 titles14–66 · median 31 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity12 titles37–82 · median 57 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs12 titles14–63 · median 35 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense12 titles34–87 · median 64 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does Marshall Herskovitz work with?

People who share at least 2 of Marshall Herskovitz's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Edward Zwick shares the most, 17.

Directors

Actors

Composers and editors

Producers